Athletics Federation of India has announced the launch of a whistle blower policy against doping and age-fraud in track and field sport in the country. At its meeting in Kaziranga. Assam, this week, the AFI Executive Committee decided to strengthen its war against doping and age-fraud to ensure the integrity of the sport.
AFI President Dr. Adille J. Sumariwalla said the Executive Committee also decided to conduct the National Marathon Championships from the coming season. “It has long been felt that AFI must reach out to the larger running community and conduct the National Marathon Championships on its own. We are working out the modalities and will share details soon,” he said.
Among many crucial decisions made over the two days in Kaziranga, over-training and early specialisation of athletes were prominent. Dr. Sumariwalla. “The Executive felt that though India topped the medals tally in the Asian Youth Championships in Kuwait, the performance did not match expectations. We believe that early specialisation and over-training contributed to that,” he said.
AFI Planning Committee Chairman Dr. Lalit K. Bhanot stressed on making track and field sport more accessible to all. “We are constantly striving to achieve that by enhancing the online registration of athletes for competitions at the State level as well, and streamlining the junior programme,” he said. “AFI is committed to providing a conducive environment for the athletes to excel in,” he said.
The AFI Executive approved the revamped SAHAS (Safeguarding Against Harassment and Abuse in Sport) policy. “We are one of the first to bring out a comprehensive policy on safeguarding athletes and other stakeholders from harassment and abuse. The revamped policy was discussed and approved during the meeting,” Dr. Sumariwalla said..
The AFI executive appreciated the successful conduct of 18th National Inter-District Junior Athletics Meet which concluded in Patna recently. It placed on record the leadership of Sports Development Authority of Bihar Director-General Raveendran Sankaran and Bihar Athletics Association Secretary Mr. Liaquat Ali.
